Tag Archives: Ignatius Anthony

reviewed at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester on 30 November

Daniel Buckroyd’s take on this popular pantomime theme might be described as traditional, but with twists. So Jack (Craig Mather) is a likeable but not brilliantly intelligent village lad and Princess Jill (Madeleine Leslay) is a girl who’s not afraid to step in when the men are making a mess of things.

Then there’s Day-Z (Dale Superville), the Trott family’s pet bullock. Yes, that’s right – but, given Superville’s superb comedy timing and mime skills, I suspect that he’s the one the audience really wants to take home. The part-projected, part-manipulated Giant is a clever device of director Abigail Anderson and designer David Shields.

If Carli Norris’ Fairy Gladys is a bumbler on the side of good (she’s failed her Fairy Godmother examination yet again – a concept I seem to recall being introduced in last year’s crop of pantos), then Ignatius Anthony’s Fleshcreep is the epitome of power-hungry evil. It’s a well-balanced performance with some neat touches.

If Superville and Mather contribute much of the comedy, then Antony Stuart-Hicks’ Dotty Trott (gorgeously costumed bewigged) takes the lioness’ share. Lots of double entendres for the grown-ups, but plenty of more accessible earthy humour for the young’uns. her sidekick is Phil Sealey’s King Norbert.

Choreographer Charlie Morgan has devised some sparkling and energetic routines, with a particularly effective one in a stratosphere peopled by robots and space-travel paraphernalia. The score devised by composer Richard Reeday under musical director Dan de Cruz mixes original with audience-familiar tunes; Callum Harrower and Harrison White occupy the pit.

Four star rating.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester until 20 January. Performance dates and times vary – check the box office (01206 573 948, www.mercurytheatre.co.uk) for details.

The book for this year’s Mercury pantomime is by Fine Time Fontayne and the theatre’s arttistic director Daniel Buckroyd, who is also responsible for the staging. Both the sets and scene drops are by David Shields; his costumes are colourful with some marvellously over-the-top wigs for Antony Stuart-Hicks’ Sarah the Cook. Stuart-Hicks has a flirtatious way with the audeince, suggestive of high camp but always remembering the younger members of the audience.

Two theatre favourites are in the cast – Dale Superville as Idle Jack and Ignatius Anthony as Rayy King, a tycoon with a novel approach to rodent recycling and designs on the London mayoral dignity. Fairy Bow-Bells (Barbara Hockaday) needs all her magic to keep his amibitions in check. Fortunately naîve country-boy Dick (Glen Adamson) has his own aide, in the shape of Gracie Lai’s zebra-striped black-and-white Thomasina, indeed a moggie with attitude.

Grace Eccle makes a charming Alice with Richard Earl bumbling around in his spice emporium as Alderman Fitzwarren. Three hallowed gag scenes – cake-making in the kitchen, “The twelve days of Christmas” and the bench ghost – are all given a novel twist (I won’t spoil their impact by describing these – find out for yourself!) and Charlie Morgan’s choreography makes a real impact. Musical director Richard Reeday provides some sympathetic accompaniments.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester until 8 January. Check the theatre website (mwrcurytheatre.co.uk) for performance times.

The Mercury’s director Daniel Buckroyd has co-written the script for this year pantomime Aladdin with Fine Time Fontayne. Buckroyd has ensured that there are some new elements to the familiar story. For example, Abanazar (Ignatius Anthony) is a disgruntled revenge-seeking former court magician and Wishee Washee (Dale Superville) is undergoing work experience with the palace police (Laura Curnick as Pong and Simon Pontin as Ping).

Curnick and Pontin also play the beehive-headed Spirit of the Ring and a magisterial Genie of the Lamp respectively. Superville is a Mercury audience favourite and quickly has the audience on his side. Antony Stuart-Hicks makes a commanding if slightly abrasive Widow Twanky as she tries to keep dreamy apple-scrunching Aladdin (Glenn Adamson) in check. Tim Freeman is the Emperor.

As heroines go, Sarah Moss makes Princess Jasmine a girl with sirit. Once she wriggles out of the paper-bag which her father insists she wears to hide her beauty from the common folk, she sets about getting her own way in no uncertain terms and proves a far more dangerous opponent for Abanazar than Aladdin manages to be.

Musical director Richard Reeday has a nice way with tunes both familiar and unfamiliar – “Three little maids from school” is particularly enjoyable in its new context. Juliet Shillingford’s designs and Charlie Morgan’s choreography are attractive and keep the action flowing. There is a real sense of characterisation and commitment to the performances; this is a pantomime for both the youngest and the oldest theatre-goers.